GOOD VARIOUS GODS

UGH WE START SCHOOL SOON AND I HAVEN'T UPDATED SINC WE GOT OUT!!!! I'M A HORRIBLE PERSON I KNOW.

We start school on Wednesday, and as happy as I will be to see my friends, I just wish it wasn't at school... Nana and Janie start in like another two weeks. Whores. NANA, JANIE I L Y. Kyle's a weird pedo, and apparently still likes me. I've got to becareful with that one. Can't give him the wrong idea. He was practically yelling at Iggy because he doesn't know how to deal with his issues (which is probably why he has other problems).
I saw my baby the other day. This gorgeous Ducati S2R 8oo. SOOOOOO PRETTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I got to sit on it this time too. Good Gods that thing is, like, made for me. I'm getting my passport photos taken today, and am still freaking out about Dad not paying into the trip yet.
I'm still trying to get some shit done on JoH (which hasn't been very successful so far). I started up with Imaginary Boobs again though. And I'm still working on Mutt and Skylar (as always). Which is funny, because I don't have a title for their story. Well... a set one anyway.
I haven't updated my dA in a while, but I hope to fix that soon. I really want to get back on the ball. At least a weekly update for both my dA and here. Maybe every Monday or something. 'Cause Gods know that I need something to brighten my Mondays.
Can't remember how long 'til Paris right now.
That's about all. :)
Ciao

SCHOOL'S OUT FOR SUMMER

YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!
SCHOOL IS OUT! SCHOOL IS OUT! SCHOOL IS OUT!
I'm so happy! Finals are done, I've had at least 10 hours of sleep per day. I've got new music on my iPod and I'm trying to get a job. Sounds exciting right? Not when you've got sunburn like no other mother fuckers ever been. I went shopping with my sister yesterday and got a new pair of shorts (they're great I love 'em). There's not really anything going on. Linda's out of town until Wednesday and that makes this house free of weirdness (aside from th actual weirdness that isn't caused by her hating me).
I've gone swimming already, and got really burned (as previously noted). It hurts A LOT. My brother got this RC Helicopter, and is driving me insane. And I had a little bit of a whore moment with the guy from Lagoo Magoo, Ian.
I updated my dA account and I feel good. :D
That's all for now, folks!
~Tobye

Jack of Hearts 2

Jack of Hearts (Part 2)

We sat on the couch for a while longer, chatting like there hadn’t been a day that I hadn’t seen him.

Eventually, I moved back to where I’d dropped my groceries the night before. They were exactly where I’d left them.
“You couldn’t put the groceries away?”
Jack shrugged, having followed me into the kitchen. “Kind of hard to do when you don’t have opposable thumbs.”
I stopped, giving him the look that said he was being a smart mouth. Then again, that was his nature.
Shaking my head, I threw a can of soup at him (he caught it of course; I had no doubt in my mind that he would).
“Just help me put the groceries away.”

“So what’s the plan for the rest of the day?”
Jack’s question surprised me in all honesty. I looked over at the clock and felt my heart sink. In my head the count down started.
5…4…3…2…
Ring-ring!
Even though I’d been expecting it, my phone still startled me. Jack looked over with an eyebrow raised as I plucked the receiver out of the cradle.
“Hello, Lucifer,” I said, trying not to smile.
“That’s the second day, Mollie.”
“I know. I ran into a bit of unexpected trouble.”
I heard my boss’ dry chuckle float over the line. “Did your mother pop in for a visit?”
Even I laughed at that. “No…an old friend decided to pull rank on me.”
“Who?” Lucy sounded genuinely curious. “Surely not ol’ Jack.”
Sometimes I forget that both Jack and I interned at the Devil’s company while we were in college.
She didn’t wait for me to answer her.
“Bring him in,” she snapped. “I’ve got a job for him.”
And that was the end of that. Lucy hung up without another word. I looked over at Jack, who had a deep-set scowl on his face.
“Now I remember why I left town,” he muttered. “She’s such a demanding Pack Leader.”
I blinked owlishly. Lucy ―the red-haired corporate giant― went and bayed at the moon every night. I couldn’t help but laugh at the thought. It was ridiculous!
Jack just looked at me. “What? You couldn’t tell?”
I shook my head, choking on laughter and holding back tears.
He threw his hands up in a wild gesture, “She walks around in those neck breakers and doesn’t make a sound! How can you do that and not be a werewolf?!”
Poog if I knew.
[[INSERT BREAK]]
Now, I really didn’t want to bring Jack into work with me. And not because the fact that he only had clothes I’d stolen from him in high school on. Nope. That had absolutely nothing to do with it.
It was the fact that Jack was as jumpy as a fox in the hen house.
“Jack… are you sure you want to go?” I asked him through the door of the bathroom.
He’d basically locked himself in there ever since he’d overheard (what with his super Wolf hearing and all) my conversation with Lucy. He’d used my shower, used my toilette… I had no idea what he was doing now.
“I don’t want to go, Mollie,” he explained, sounding put off. “I don’t have a choice on going or not. Now that I’m here… she’s the Pack Leader I fall under.”
Oh. Man. I wouldn’t want to go see Lucy either if she had the power to dictate everything I did (well she practically does already, but this was an entirely different thing).
“She didn’t say we had to go immediately,” I said, trying to make my friend feel better.
The door finally opened, and gave me a wicked glare. “With Lucy immediately goes unsaid.”
I stepped back and he crowded into the little hall with me. His hair was shorter, framing his face now.
“Have a fun time with the scissors?” I snickered.
Jack gave me another glare, this time running his fingers through his hair. “Yeah. Just wish I could have seen what I was doing though.”
I pat him on the shoulder (although it was a bit of a reach) and stood on my toes to ruffle his hair. “Not bad,” I said. “A little choppy...”
Of course I wasn’t going to say that I thought it looked good. Not out loud anyway. I’d never hear the end of it if I did that. Then again, I never hear the end of anything with him anyway.
“Ready to go?” I asked, slipping on shoes.
“As I’ll ever be…” he grumbled.
[[INSERT BREAK]]
People waved at me as we passed then had to do a double take when they saw Jack. It’s not everyday someone walks in that’s a head taller than six feet (aside from Lucy that is) and doesn’t have any shoes on.
I snickered as we passed Lucy’s secretary, whose mouth gaped open at the sight of Jack.
“What are you laughing about?” Jack hissed, striding up next to me.
“Oh nothing…just recalling something about first impressions.”
“Right. My tail end.”
I linked my arm with his, pushing the door to Lucy’s office inwards.
“To bad the Devil isn’t in Georgia,” Jack muttered, grimacing.
“If she was,” I said. “It’d be a dream come true.”
The red-haired woman sat behind her desk, hunched over a pile of papers bigger around than she was.
“It’s about time,” she snapped, not even bothering to look up.
Lucy McNamara was the only person I had worked for my entire life. She was the meanest, snippiest, bossiest person I’ve ever known. I don’t know why I worked for her.
“Jack,” she huffed, after scribbling something out (and finally looking at us).
“Yes ma’am?” Jack seemed to straighten, becoming a perfect little corporate soldier.
“You’re now Mollie’s partner in media research and marketing,” she seemed to command it with such an off-handed tone that I wanted to laugh.
What a shrew.
“Yes ma’am,” was Jack’s sharp reply.
“Mollie.”
I wanted to repeatedly bash my head against the heavy marble topped desk in front of me at how shrill her voice was, but then again... that happened every time she spoke. She’s such a successful sadist that she makes others want to harm themselves.
“Yes, Lucifer?” I asked, the sweetness in my voice even making me sick.
“Show him the projects you guys are working on now,” she smiled, then turned back to her papers. “Then you two can take the rest week off and catch up.”
Now I remember. That was why I worked for the Devil.
[[INSERT BREAK]]
“And that is how we are going to get people to go eco-friendly.”
I was smiling. Grinning. Beaming! It was Wednesday and now, thanks to the devil incarnate that was my boss, I got to spend the rest of the week with Jack. Cool right? Absolutely.
“That’s pretty big, Molls,” Jack hm-ed. “Do you thinking people will do that?”
The bark of laughter that erupted from my throat rivaled that of the cackle that came from Lucy’s. “We’re not in this industry for nothing, Jack. It only takes a little effort to brainwash people nowadays.”
He chuckled with me, clapping me on the back. “True enough... is it time to leave now?”
I shut off my computer and practically danced around my station, checking things that needed to be checked. “Yup!”
“Good!” Jack heaved a great big sigh, and grabbed my hand to drag me out of the building. “So can we get food now?”
“Haven’t I fed you enough?” I asked, trying not to trip as he hurried me along.
“Apparently not. Chinese?”
“Had it the day you decided to knock down my door.”
“Oh right. I knew something smelled good. Thai?”
I shook my head. “Too similar to Chinese.”
“Euro-café? I know you’ve always liked the delicate little snacks they have.”
“Nope, hungrier than that.”
Jack stopped, looking over his shoulder to give me the evil eye. “Have you always put up this much of a fight with everything?”
“Only when it involves you.” I gave him a sweet smile.
“Geez, you’re evil.”
“And you’re still holding my hand.”
Face turning red, he dropped the appendage, and looked down at his feet.
“Sushi?”
Smiling, I marched the rest of the way to my car. “Raw fish? Ew.”
He was over his sudden bashfulness in a second. “Cripes! There is no pleasing you is there?!”
I smacked him on the arm as I unlocked the car. “Can you settle for sandwiches, you bottomless pit?”
He ducked into my car, grinning like an idiot. “Only if you think we can get ‘em before I get furry again.”
I almost growled, shaking my head and turning the engine over.
“Fine. But since you’re staying with me, you are earning your keep until you can get your own place.”
“What? Do I get to do your laundry?” he snickered, a goofy grin on his face.
“You aren’t getting anywhere near my skivvies, Jack. Bottom-line. No, you get to do the dishes.”
“I thought you had a dishwasher?”
I smiled, “You get to fix that.”
His smile deflated. “Great.”

Jack of Hearts II

We sat on the couch for a while longer, chatting like there hadn’t been a day that I hadn’t seen him.
Eventually, I moved back to where I’d dropped my groceries the night before. They were exactly where I’d left them.
“You couldn’t put the groceries away?”
Jack shrugged, having followed me into the kitchen. “Kind of hard to do when you don’t have opposable thumbs.”
I stopped, giving him the look that said he was being a smart mouth. Then again, that was his nature.
Shaking my head, I threw a can of soup at him (he caught it of course; I had no doubt in my mind that he would).
“Just help me put the groceries away.”

“So what’s the plan for the rest of the day?”
Jack’s question surprised me in all honesty. I looked over at the clock and felt my heart sink. In my head the count down started.
5…4…3…2…
Ring-ring!
Even though I’d been expecting it, my phone still startled me. Jack looked over with an eyebrow raised as I plucked the receiver out of the cradle.
“Hello, Lucifer,” I said, trying not to smile.
“That’s the second day, Mollie.”
“I know. I ran into a bit of unexpected trouble.”
I heard my boss’ dry chuckle float over the line. “Did your mother pop in for a visit?”
Even I laughed at that. “No…an old friend decided to pull rank on me.”
“Who?” Lucy sounded genuinely curious. “Surely not ol’ Jack.”
Sometimes I forget that both Jack and I interned at the Devil’s company while we were in college.
She didn’t wait for me to answer her.
“Bring him in,” she snapped. “I’ve got a job for him.”
And that was the end of that. Lucy hung up without another word. I looked over at Jack, who had a deep-set scowl on his face.
“Now I remember why I left town,” he muttered. “She’s such a demanding Pack Leader.”
I blinked owlishly. Lucy ―the red-haired corporate giant― went and bayed at the moon every night. I couldn’t help but laugh at the thought. It was ridiculous!
Jack just looked at me. “What? You couldn’t tell?”
I shook my head, choking on laughter and holding back tears.
He threw his hands up in a wild gesture, “She walks around in those neck breakers and doesn’t make a sound! How can you do that and not be a werewolf?!”
Poog if I knew.
[[INSERT BREAK]]
Now, I really didn’t want to bring Jack into work with me. And not because the fact that he only had clothes I’d stolen from him in high school on. Nope. That had absolutely nothing to do with it.
It was the fact that Jack was as jumpy as a fox in the hen house.
“Jack… are you sure you want to go?” I asked him through the door of the bathroom.
He’d basically locked himself in there ever since he’d overheard (what with his super Wolf hearing and all) my conversation with Lucy. He’d used my shower, used my toilette… I had no idea what he was doing now.
“I don’t want to go, Mollie,” he explained, sounding put off. “I don’t have a choice on going or not. Now that I’m here… she’s the Pack Leader I fall under.”
Oh. Man. I wouldn’t want to go see Lucy either if she had the power to dictate everything I did (well she practically does already, but this was an entirely different thing).
“She didn’t say we had to go immediately,” I said, trying to make my friend feel better.
The door finally opened, and gave me a wicked glare. “With Lucy immediately goes unsaid.”
I stepped back and he crowded into the little hall with me. His hair was shorter, framing his face now.
“Have a fun time with the scissors?” I snickered.
Jack gave me another glare, this time running his fingers through his hair. “Yeah. Just wish I could have seen what I was doing though.”
I pat him on the shoulder (although it was a bit of a reach) and stood on my toes to ruffle his hair. “Not bad,” I said. “A little choppy...”
Of course I wasn’t going to say that I thought it looked good. Not out loud anyway. I’d never hear the end of it if I did that. Then again, I never hear the end of anything with him anyway.
“Ready to go?” I asked, slipping on shoes.
“As I’ll ever be…” he grumbled.
[[INSERT BREAK]]
People waved at me as we passed then had to do a double take when they saw Jack. It’s not everyday someone walks on that’s a head taller than six feet (aside from Lucy that is) and doesn’t have any shoes.
I snickered as we passed Lucy’s secretary, whose mouth gaped open at the sight of Jack.
“What are you laughing about?” Jack hissed, striding up next to me.
“Oh nothing…just recalling something about first impressions.”
“Right. My tail end.”
I linked my arm with his, pushing the door to Lucy’s office inwards.
“To bad the Devil isn’t in Georgia,” Jack muttered, grimacing.

Hope I start talking crazy, before you can understand me

Okay, so I'm most definitely done with this Dahmer paper.
Not literally but Hell, it's due Thursday. I have Massey-bastard's class tomorrow, and I got an Ugly Doll!!!!!!! I LOVE HIM!! His name is Peaco and he has three eyes. I love him. I got some more Sudoku books today when I went to the mall with DJ.
There were some absolutely gorgeous guys at the toy store I got those from. Ian and Brian. They were totally hitting on the A-squad man. Although, Sam might hate me if I told him. So, shh~ ;)

That's really all for now. EW. MAP TEST FOR THE NEXT LIKE WEEK AND A HALF. YUK.
Ciao!
Tobye

Okay, so I definately feel like crap

UGH
I FUCKING HATE RESEARCH PAPERS.
They're fucking bogus. Especially when you have to do one about Jeffrey fucking Dahmer. I'm going to go crazy if I have to write anymore about that sick bastard. I swear. I mean it wouldn't be so bad if we didn't have to do a research paper on American Crime, but COME ON.

Okay. I'm done. I swear. No more Dahmer.

Things have been pretty crazy lately.I have to take th MAP test next week, I've got a crazy big amounts of homework in Trig and Alg. II, I've got a creative nonfiction I have to write for CWC and I ain't getting a whole Hell of a lot of sleep lately. AND I HAVE A HEALTH PROJECT THAT I HAVEN'T EVEN STARTED YET. I know I'll be okay once I get this Dahmer thing out of the way. But until then, I can only hope that the rest of my teachers take it easy on me.I'm glad I can get away with sleeping in half of my classes.
I think I'm done for now.
Ciao,
Tobye

TSkM

The first time I saw my mother pull on that mask, was the only time I can say I feared for my life. I had no idea what that mask meant. Well, at least I didn't then.
I'd come down the hall to say goodnight, and had opened my mother's door to quite a scene.
She'd been sitting peacefully on the edge of her bed, arguing with another masked creature that scared the living daylights out of me. It spoke out of its neck, where a frightening mouth full of razor sharp teeth opened.
"Well, well. Seems like we have a little spy," it rumbled. "Come to steal away the stars and gobble them up have you?"
I hadn't been looking at the monster, but when I did, it was looking straight back at me.
My mother gasped, and immediately got up to approach me.
"Étoile, what are you doing? You should be in bed!"
She had sounded upset, like any mother would have been; but behind that was a fear that I'd never heard from her before.
"Mama, what's going on?" I remember asking her.
She sighed when there was a comment from the creature behind her, in a language I didn't understand then.
"Go to bed, dear," she almost ordered. "I'll tell you in the morning.”
Sometimes I wondered if my Mom had just been waiting to pass the Manifesto onto me; because the moment she handed me that mask, that lifelong duty, she was getting flighty. She would leave the house, go out of town for any reason she could find (and she would always look for a reason I couldn’t go with her).
Then the day I turned eighteen... she had her car packed up and ready to go, trying to find the first flight to anywhere.
At first I thought it had been a, you know, a mommy-and-me road trip but when I walked out to get in the car.
“You can’t leave, honey,” she said softly.
I was puzzled then started laughing. “What are you talking about, Mom?”
“You. Can’t. Leave.” She said again. “The contract won’t let you.”

Then she got in her car, and simply drove away.

I can’t tell you just how many weeks I spent after that, trying to get away from the town, even if it was just an inch outside that city line. It never worked though. Something would always happen; something would always get in the way. Car crashes, highway construction― things that all seemed pretty natural. Then. Oh then, weird things started happening. I would start to feel nauseous the closer I got to the city line. I would black out as soon as I stepped on or over the line.
The weirdest one was my final attempt to step over that confining boundary. I’d gotten out of my car a few hundred feet away from my invisible fence, and had simply started walking towards it.
That was how I met Brother.
He’d come out of the tree line on the side of the road, laughing out of that gaping hole in his neck that was his mouth. He turned toward me, that mask hiding his face, much like the one I’d inherited.
















Scared out of my mind, I’d frozen, trying to ignore that little click of recognition in the back of my mind.
“You’re mother tried the exact same thing when she became the Star-keeper,” he roared in laughter, as if it were the funniest thing in the world.
And to him it probably was.
“You can’t leave, Étoile. It violates the Contract and as your Brother, I can’t let you walk across that line. I’ve been taking it easy on you lately. But if you try this again I will kill you.”
And that silly grin had been plastered across his throat the whole time he had said that.
I was starting to wonder why no one had stopped or there hadn’t been any accidents yet because of Brother being out in the open.
“I have a mask, Étoile. No one else can see me. All they are seeing is you standing out here. All by yourself.”
Then, I’d been outraged. Someone could have come over and gotten this monster away from me, and I could have walked right on over that line without any trouble― because apparently he’d been the one causing all of those things to happen to me.
My anger had fueled me to keep walking forward, regardless of the consequences at this point in time.
“This is your last warning, girl,” he growled, grin dropping.
“THIS IS YOUR FAULT!” I had shouted at him.
“Perhaps it is,” he said very curtly, getting to his feet and out of the grass. “It’s not that horrible, Étoile. I’ve been stuck in this forsaken town since the Stars fell. At least at some point you can leave.”
That’s when I’d realized I’d stopped, slightly mollified by his words. He was right. I knew he was. I just had to find a way to cope with the Contract until I could pass it on to someone else.

The store was extremely busy today. The door was opening and closing almost non stop, and the bell I had put in the door frame was driving me INSANE. I had no idea why everyone suddenly wanted flowers today. Had something happened?
The only other time the store was this busy was on Prom week, though you don’t hear me complaining. More flowers gone, meant more flowers in, which meant more money.

Nearer to the end of the day, the bell in the door frame had been so generously taken down by one of the taller men that had come in (because Lord knows I couldn’t reach that high). So I hadn’t heard my latest customer come in.
I was pulling some flowers from the large, glass door-ed refrigerator, when he came in and couldn’t hear him clear his throat over the hum of electricity running through the giant machine.
“EXCUSE ME,” was what surprised me out of the flower arranging task I had set myself to.
“Oh I’m sorry,” I said, trying to calm my now racing heart. “How may I help you?”
“I need a small bouquet of daffodils.”
I rushed over behind the counter, to find my order pad and tried not to rip the pen that had gotten tangled in my hair.
“Alright, may I have I have your name, sir?” I asked, actually getting a look at him this time.
The angles in his face were strange, almost harsh, and his eyes were a pale gold. Shaggy brown-black hair hung slightly past his shoulders, and he was almost scary tall. “Coyote.”
“Were your parents hippies?” I asked before I had time to stop myself.
“The originals,” he grinned, almost as if he were used to it.
I was trying to get over the embarrassment of actually having blurted that out. “Oh.”
“Don’t worry. I get that all the time.”
“And your last name, sir?” I asked, trying to get back to business mode.
He raised an eyebrow at me. “What if I don’t have one?”
I tried not to go ballistic at that, hoping that years of anger management would help. “You don’t have a last name?”
“Never have. Don’t plan to change that now.”
“That’s hard to believe, sir,” I said, hoping it wasn’t to painfully obvious that I was gritting my teeth for all they were worth.
“How much are the flowers, Miss?” he asked, a smugly amused look on his face, almost as if he knew how much this was getting under my skin.
“For a bouquet of how many, sir?” I asked.
“Why are you angry with me?”
“I’m not angry. How many flowers would you like sir?”
I heard his slightly put off sigh. “One bouquet of seven and then I’ll take however many odd flowers it’ll take to keep you from being angry with me.”
“I’m not angry with you,” I said as gently as I could.
“Tch. Now you’re just lying through your teeth.”
I gripped my pen until my knuckles were white. “Sir, I close in fifteen minutes. I do not want to still be here arguing with you on whether I am angry or not. So there is only going to be one bouquet of seven daffodils, alright?”
I slapped my pen onto the pad of paper I had just taken his order on and marched back to the back of the store. “Come back in ten minutes!” I hollered.
I went back into the workshop; to do the work I had just been given. And, thinking he had taken my advice, I threw a heavy piece of matte boars into the back door.

“What on earth was that?” I jumped, facing the otherwise quiet man that was standing in the doorway.
“I knew you were angry.”
“Shut up,” I barked at him, and opened the back door to the flower-fridge.

It didn’t take me long to get the flowers cut and wrapped at all, I’d been doing this same thing since I was old enough to work (which was funny enough, because along with the Manifesto I’d gotten the family flower shop).
“Here,” I growled and shoved the flowers at him. “That’s ten dollars with a discount for you to never come back to my shop again.”
Coyote snorted at me. “For making you angry? That hardly seems fair.”
I walked casually over to the door, holding it open for him. “Yeah? Well, it’s my store. Don’t plan to change that now.”
I was mocking him now and happy about it, because it was the truth too. I was my store.

“The NERVE of that guy!!” I shouted.
“Oh I know what you mean. That happens to me all the time.”
I threw a shoe at Brother’s head, hearing a satisfying grunt of pain.
“What was that for?!” he growled, and snapped up the shoe I had just thrown in his mouth.
“DON’T. YOU. DARE.” I spat out, storming over to grab the shoe out of his jaws. “If you eat another one of my shoes, Brother, I WILL hurt you.”
The gaping mouth opened so he could stick his tongue out at me.
“You threw it.” Brother pushed the Aquarius pitcher at me, and I could hear the stars whirling around inside the thick glass. “C’mon, girl. We have to get going.”






























I snarled. “Yeah, yeah. People wanna see the Stars.”
Walking to my dresser, I pulled the sash of my Star-keeper ‘uniform’ a little tighter around the waist. I slid the heavy red and white mask over my face before slinging the Aquarius Pitcher over my shoulder.

Sometimes I thought being the Star-keeper was the coolest thing.
No one was out after dark until I put the Stars out, and I could see people watching for me to come by with Brother, pop the cork on the Aquarius Pitcher and slowly fish a handful of stars out to put in the lamps high above the houses.
I’d always wondered how the Stars got up there when I was little, but now I didn’t even think about it. I would get onto Brother’s shoulders and he would simply stand on his hind legs. Occasionally, I wouldn’t even get down once the Stars were in the lamps and would just get piggy-backed all across town by my faceless monster of a companion.
“Étoile?” Brother’s gruff voice brought me out of my slight reverie. “Are you alright?”
I shook my thoughts away. I’d had a bad feeling since I’d left the store earlier that night, and apparently Brother was picking up on that.
“I guess so,” I told him. “I don’t really know. I think I’m just tired.”
Large clawed hands wrapped around my ankles to keep me from falling off his shoulders, as I pulled some more Stars out of the large, cool glass sphere and deposited them into the almost invisible the Star-lamps.
“Well, don’t fall asleep yet. We’re almost done.”
Sighing, I closed the pitcher again. “Alright, alright.”
I heard laughter behind us as the children came out to jump around at Brother’s feet, and try and get us to play a game with them. Brother cackled at them, leaning over to walk on all four feet and snapping at the children.
“You guys came along at just the right time, I was getting hungry,” he growled.
I rolled my eyes and hopped off his back. Brother loved being outrageous at any chance he could grab. It was one of the things that made my job a little bit more tolerable.
“Come here, munchkin,” he said gnashing his teeth at the children who were squealing with delight.
“Brother, you lazy bum. We can’t stop for dinner.” I called when I had walked ahead a bit.
He raised his head from where he was getting pets and rubs from the group of children that had flocked out to greet us before bounding to catch up with me.
“Party pooper,” he teased when all the kids groaned in disappointment, grinning like a fool.
“Oh, hush,” I chided. “You hate kids.”
“You’re absolutely right,” he guffawed.

We only had a handful of Star-lamps left to visit, and since we’d seen the kids the banter between Brother and I had been rather playful and light-hearted.
Well, that is, until: "Étoile, there’s someone following us.”
I was sorely tempted to spout something terribly foul, but Brother stopped me before I could say a word. “They’ll know that we know they’re following us if you say anything like that, girl.”
“We’ve never had a problem with that. So, why now?”
Brother stood on his hind legs so I could put Stars into the next lamp.
“How should I know why. That’s not my job. I’m simply here to help you out.”
I growled at him angrily, then pulled on his ear.